A prolific Hadleigh shoplifter has been handed a nine month community order after being convicted on theft offences.

Stafford Straker of Market Place in Hadleigh, appeared before Ipswich Magistrates Court on today, 1 February, where he pleaded guilty to a string of thefts from shops in the Hadleigh area.

Straker was charged on 16 December 2021 with two counts of theft that took place on 6 November and 7 November at the Co-op where alcohol and a vacuum cleaner were stolen respectively.

Following his charge Straker then elected to work with the Operation Converter team and he admitted a further 15 theft offences that took place between the 10 October 2021 and 15 December 2021 and were from various retail outlets in the Hadleigh area.

He pleaded guilty to these offences and in total with all his offending the amount of items stolen totalled more than £1,400.

Duncan Etchells from the Op Converter team said: "Our thanks go to PC Simon Lant from Hadleigh Safer Neighbourhood Team whose hard work secured the two initial charges.

"His efforts to get these charged meant we could then engage with Straker through Op Converter – he was a persistent offender who struggled to change his criminal behaviour."

Straker's spree was referred to by PC Mike Small to Hadleigh councillors last month, reported by Hadleigh Nub News here.

Operation Converter is an initiative aimed at encouraging offenders to admit their crimes.

This has benefits for all – police are able to give victims some peace of mind that an offender has been caught for the burglary of their home or the theft of their property and the individual has the opportunity to clear their slate, so they can have a fresh start when they are released from prison, without the possibility they will later be traced for a further offence.

Offenders have to give sufficient detail for officers to be sure they have committed the crime and these offences are then 'taken into consideration' at sentencing.